News & Public Notices

Canning Bridge Station Parking

Media Response
29 April 2011

Canning Bridge

Journalists background: A petition was submitted to the City at the last council meeting in regards to a review of 4-hour parking restrictions on the south side of the Davilak Street segment between Edgecombe and Lockhart streets. Residents claim Canning Bridge Station is being used as a park-and-ride station with people parking all day in nearby local streets. They think parking restrictions is warranted on both sides of Davilak Street. Residents say an unused closed site near the station could be used as a car park.
Please attribute the following responses to City of South Perth Mayor James Best:

Will the City be reviewing its parking policy around the area?
A report will be presented to Council at the May meeting as a result of the petition. The current restrictions were introduced in response to the all-day parkers who were preventing local owners from using the kerbside for their purposes or for parking by visitors and tradesmen to the area. The current restrictions acknowledge the needs of the local residents while still meeting a community need. The current arrangement has been monitored since its introduction and generally there has been support to the arrangement. Some minor changes to Davilak Street are under consideration.

Why are there only four-hour restrictions on one side of Davilak Street? Have the current 4-hour restrictions helped alleviate the problem?
Timed parking on one side of the street with unlimited parking on the other has been a long established practice for meeting the conflicting needs of local residents and the wider community requiring street parking in a particular area. The arrangement of timed parking on one side and unrestricted on the other has also been applied to Roberts Street and Lockhart Street. The general support to the arrangement would suggest that it has significantly eased the concerns that were previously evident.

Should Canning Bridge Station become a park-and-ride station? Has all day parking in nearby local streets been a major problem since the station opened?
The City does not believe the designation of Canning Bridge Station needs to be changed to a park-and-ride Station as the current parking situation is manageable and as indicated above generally supported by the local owners and residents. The City supports better public transport links to the station including improved bus to train interchanges along with improved cycling and pedestrian facilities.

Does the City believe there are other alternatives to alleviate the problem?
The reviews to date have indicated the parking restrictions are a realistic response to the issues of commuter parking. Improving and increasing the frequency of public transport links is the preferred alternative to being dependent on private cars.

In the longer term, the knowledge arc light rail - a tram from Canning Bridge to Curtin University and to the causeway to UWA - would realise the community vision of moving within, between and beyond neighbourhoods while reducing our environmental impact.

Is there scope for a car park to be built near the station?
Unless there is a significant redesign of the bus/rail transfer station, there is little likelihood of a major car parking facility being provided in this location. The public transport links and the improvements at the station for bus to train interchanges, the provision of cycling facilities and an overall improvement in pedestrian access across Canning Highway and the Freeway ramps remain as existing priorities.